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How did you create your own sacredness around yesterday’s New Moon energy? What intentions did you set and what commitments to your unique expression have you made?

My experience was, for me, the perfect, integrative, and intentful way to put closure to the weekend and to celebrate initiations of the new. I found another layer of clarity to my own focuses and welcomed more awareness all around. The day started in a morning hike and ended in four hours of sacred music for the heart and soul.

This weekend was also a very full experience of observing things that ran the gamut from simple to layered complexities, from the natural to the out-of-balance, and from experiencing sacred creativity, authenticity and community to witnessing duality, separation, illusions, denial, and fear.

I observed people’s choices reflect to them the stories they have chosen in what would be considered by some to be nice and not so nice experiences. I watched how easily illusions can consume people into addictive, hidden patterns that are slowly destructive, yet soulfully chosen for exponential growth opportunities. I also saw raw courage, vulnerability, connectivity, and instant transformations as result of responsibly embracing the learning provided in choice, which all created a fortified field of mirroring reflections to unfold.

In either case, the truth is, it all just IS. I can analyze it and attach a judgment or I can observe and move in and out, being honoring of “free will,” which knows exactly what it is doing in the grand scheme of things.

And such is life…a unified tapestry of wholeness that we can either choose to stay stagnant in the story of any one thing without taking personal responsibility, OR realize the fluidity of life and that all experiences are inherent in coming to understand the depth of creation itself, the perfection of what it is you have created to teach you, and perhaps doing so without staying stuck in victim or bully roles.

I choose to create what is a reflection of my truth and when not in an environment reflecting that, will hold the space of my heart’s authenticity and use the experiences playing out, as a way to further expand and deepen.

And even if the moment moves me through varying degrees of emotions and thoughts, in the end I am always left in grateful awe of how divine everything plays out. It truly is a masterpiece in creation.

That being said, it is a powerfully transformative time (as this Solar Eclipse New Moon in Scorpio gifted) presenting opportunity for major change and new beginnings, if you truly desire it and have the courage to go deep into the heart of you.

GuruGanesha Band

There were a lot of beautiful celebrations this weekend of visionary creativity being shared that I would like to bring back around the focus to.

Saturday night’s Santa Ana Art Walk Showcase with Orange County Creatives was the first of the collective, co-creative community celebrations. It was great to see friends that came out to support. I enjoyed talking with people that were interested to know more about crystals and my pieces and I loved talking with the other artists, viewing their work, and holding the energy of that co-creative space with them.

But it is the young artists putting their work out so courageously (for the first time) that I especially enjoy connecting with, as I love to support them in their passions and help to inspire them to continue to follow their dreams. That is a huge part of why I do what I do. I know what it feels like to be out there on your own in many ways, and yet there is so much value to that journey.

The life of a creative visionary is a gift that will bring a full circle of experiences, including the ups and downs in extremes at times. It is my hope to help keep the train chugging along the track they have chosen and to help lesson the down time.

“When we feel passion for something, it is because we are remembering what it was that we came here to do. The more passion we feel, the more in alignment with Source we are, allowing this energy to pour through us with no hesitation. This is the way it was meant to be.” —Karen Bishop

Sunday brought a gathering of vegan authors at the Animal Advocacy Museum’s Vegan Book Fair celebration, which was a wonderful showing of new authors sharing a wide variety of topics from natural health and global recipes, to the economics of the meat and dairy industry and the truth behind food labels. Again, another community supportive event promoting things of benefit to society through expressive means.

Deva Premal & Miten

And, as mentioned, the Solar Eclipse New Moon evening ended perfectly at the gathering to celebrate sacred music, love, peace, and connection at the Deva Premal & Miten and GuruGanesha Band Escondido Concert. There was a ton of love in the concert hall of 1500 resounding hearts together in sacredness. One of the beautiful highlights was when Miten invited all of the men to stand and sing to the women. This was such a powerful experience of nearly half the participating gatherers standing in the power of their Divine Male in full honor, vulnerability, and integration of the Divine Female. Singing sacred chants, feeling the power of silence, and dancing in community creates a resounding vibration that has profound rippling effects.

Yes, the creative arts of all genres hold an intrinsic value that has meaningful impact, individually and collectively. And the younger and older creatives, alike, are helping to form a new heart, body, mind, and soul, collective experience.

If you are on the brink of bringing forth your creative passions, I highly encourage you to keep firmly committed to that path, as it will reward you tenfold, not to mention will have far-greater impact than you can possibly try to foresee right now. Even if it’s not about creating a career out of your passion, your creative life force energy is so important to cultivate in terms of just shifting your entire vibration more into the abundant authenticity of you. And this will, by default, be an example to others to mirror that natural flow you embrace.

I want to thank my visionary musician friend, George, for sharing the passage below with me. Although it speaks about singers and musicians, I would say it is talking about ALL visionary creatives creating through ALL of the mediums and formats available – be that word, image, form, sound, movement, and any sensory and extra-sensory expression.

And if you are currently a creative artist or healing arts visionary, replace your modality in the following passage, but do not allow yourself to be replaced, as there is no other like you and YOUR creative expression is much needed in the world. YOU are much needed in this world. And in our unique, creative self-expressions, TOGETHER, we create beautiful music that holds the key to shifting paradigms.

You have a song to sing. It is why you are here. Don’t let someone or something silence your beauty, as your beauty will help inspire another’s.

Love this fun shot from a modeling shoot back in the day meant to capture a bit of that Aquarian Age, futuristic, visionary energy. I happen to have Venus & Jupiter in Aquarius

I believe that creative vision has a power that can assist you in manifesting your dreams and heart desires. Exercising your unlimited creativity and funneling it through focused action, fueled by unconditional love, is the stuff miracles are made of.

As I wrote yesterday as a sharing on my Facebook page:

“Miracles are a reality that we each create.

We are creators creating our experience with each thought and this happens whether wanted or not, as the thoughts being given attention are seeding effects as a result. You get what you give, as they say. You can see whether you are creating by default or choice, by noticing how you feel about the things you are creating. And when you are mindful of the originating thought process that created it, you can then choose to focus differently and shift your perspective to active participation in the molding of your experiences.”

If you consciously cultivate and water the creative power that resides innately as the embodiment of you, you not only start to see reflections of this in your experiences, but you also open to the flooding in of unlimited possibilities.

Visionaries actively and consistently create and then recreate again. They know no boundary and they don’t understand or entertain “can’t, shouldn’t, not possible, foolish, waste of time, or come back to reality,” as they are already off creating their own reality. And in doing so, are paving the way for others to do the same.

Visionary leaders encourage change and innovation and see life as a symbolic puzzle that takes decisive commitment to an alignment of elements. The results may not happen immediately, and that is alright in the visionary’s world, as they see the bigger picture and they are set up to bring experiences about with all of their heart and don’t stop short of that.

They take into account a synergy of all elements to alchemically produce something for the highest good of all, while accepting setbacks, delays, and challenges, as simply part of the developmental evolution of the vision.

Visionary leaders go to the root of things and create a new way from what they discover there.

“Visionary leadership is based on a balanced expression of the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical dimensions. It requires core values, clear vision, empowering relationships, and innovative action. When one or more of these dimensions are missing, leadership cannot manifest a vision.” ~Corinne McLaughlin

This seems like a perfect flowing take off of yesterday’s beautiful sharing from creative visionary, Jennifer Helminski – one of the courageous souls creating from her heart in service to something of, and greater than, herself.

“Creativity is love. It is a magical and powerful energy vital to exercise and cultivate as a channel of creation itself. It’s an exciting time for alchemizing our very existence. We are infinitely creative beings here to evoke the remembrance of what lies in our hearts. This is an opportune and timely alignment of energies for really bringing forth the authenticity of your heart and expressing it in its most beautiful light, outward to all from within.

Our creative energy is an expression of the boundless love of All That Is and it is essential in creating new realities of experience. Cultivating the imagination, dreaming, hoping, allowing and supporting vulnerable and passionate expression, utilizing creative visualization… is all vital to manifestation.

The creative and healing arts are rapidly taking more of an essential role, as they once did, in leading the way to a new experience of life. Once again the arts, integrated with the other essentials aspects of wholeness, are and will be recognized as foundations that will bring us to a return to natural harmony and balance with the Earth, nature, and our very existence.

Cultivating the right brain back into balance with the left will help to anchor in new energies. This is why it is vital to support those in the arts and to cultivate those aspects within yourself that have called to you. Valuing the contributions that creativity shares, not only to the individual practicing their own expression of it, but to all those that are touched by their creations and services, enriches communities collectively.”

This is a great and insightful article on Qualities of Visionary Leaders that I find, from my experience, to share accurate qualities that visionary leaders embody. These include openness, imagination, persistence, and conviction. Read the entire article at the link for more.

I believe there is a creative visionary in all of us. Some may be actively exercising and cultivating it more, and in which case they become visionary leaders opening doorways for us all. However, we each are visionary leaders in our own right, and every day you step outside the lines, you are supporting a new paradigm for yourself and us all.

If you remember back in April, I had the honor and opportunity to be part of a fun “celebration of the arts” showcase event in Los Angeles on 4/11 that brought together some of the creative visionaries leading with their creative hearts.

The event was RAW: Los Angeles Presents MARVEL – an evening of eclectic talent and indie artists from a plethora of genres coming together in community to empower the movement of creative experience in life from which to create miracles from.

This is a short video interview from the evening, as I share about my pieces and my vision of art and creative visionaries:

We are ONLY 1 month away now from the exciting event RAW: Los Angeles Presents MARVEL, so mark your calendars if you’re in the area! For a video sneak peak of February’s show to give you a taste of what’s in store, check out: Sneak Peak Video and Inside the Belasco.

This fun evening of eclectic talent and indie artists, from a plethora of genres coming together in community, is sure to be a recipe for “raw” inspiration. There will be 50 artists scheduled for the event (9 more since the creation of this flyer), including myself, all to join together under the same roof.

RAW’s mission is to provide support to independent artists to inspire and cultivate creativity and they encourage the creative success of the many visionaries and storytellers of our generation.

Needless to say, April 11th will be a fun evening and a chance to see some really talented up and coming artists, as well as enjoy the entertainment, all while supporting the arts!

With only a month away, I’ll be immersed in some mega-creating to share my new channeled visions at the event.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area, I would love to see you there in support of the creative arts.

You can still be part of the evening celebrations as an art supporter and help sponsor my event with a supportive ticket purchase donation:

Even if you can’t make it, or are not in the area, ticket purchase donations go to supporting the independent artists, like myself, who are sharing their valuable creative expression with the world. So you can still be a part of the art, by supporting from your heart.

Your loving donations are much appreciated.

Tickets and ticket donations can be purchased here in advance at $5 discount: I AM RAW

You can either click on the link that says “Buy a Ticket for this Artist” or click on “Marvel April 2013″ and it will display my name as the artist you are supporting.

This photo taken by my friend Lynne on the Santa Monica Pier last week of me in my french beret had me rolling in laughter. Not only do I look like a little girl, but it just so captured the abundant inspirational feelings I have. Not to mention some odd unidentified flying object is to my right unbeknownst to me in my play time. LOL

Maybe it’s all that beautiful ocean energy and nature I’ve been immersed in lately, the retreat in Bimini, the unlimited Source-well of creativity and inspiration I feel connected to evermore so, or simply “being in the flow,” but another huge creative wave has arrived and I”m ready to surf it through what ever waters, and to what ever shore, it takes me. :) Right now, I’m feeling a lot of high-vibed flow with all this creative energy and magickal experiences, an invigorating hike today, and some new Andara crystal friends sitting on my desk – woo! Yes I am loving this energy. Are you?

This year seems to be a supportive year for “seeing” the beauty in the miracles of life around us and sharing beauty with the world through our individual gifts. It’s a wonderful time for cultivating creative new endeavors, being the Michelangelo of your own life, and diving deep into the inspirational abyss.

I have SO been enjoying seeing all the new creations that others are manifesting lately and all the new leaps everyone is taking. I LOVE it! There is SO MUCH talent out there and it’s so amazing to me to see people come into realizing that about themselves and what they have to offer the world. “Rocking it” is far from doing you all justice to say. The energy abound is simply stunning and it only gets better.

Just remember to create balance, nurture and recharge yourself, be gentle, remember to add “flow with grace” when asking for things, and love, without judgment, every minute and every part of your magnificence in creation.

To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it. ~Osho

I have learned to flow with where I’m guided in any given moment, rather than dictate or create ideas of what that should look like. In doing this, I find stress removed, balance in my life, divine timing unfolding, and optimal ingredients for fulfilling outcomes on all levels. My intuition and heart are my guidance. My trust, belief, imagination, passion, and connection are my wings to get there.

The awesome thing is….you can never use up all of your creative juices! It’s one of the most amazingly abundant sources of energy that constantly recreates and reinvigorates itself and just gets better the more you courageously tap into your imagination and dreams and release all judgment and fear. The challenge is to keep evolving into greater depths of exploration in order to bring forth ever-new expressions. Nothing is done. There is always more to have fun with!

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. ~Maya Angelou

As you know, painting had taken a small hiatus at the end of last year for me, as I was working on other projects and preparations for Bimini. But I heard the message to wait until I return, as I would receive answer to what to create next, when I do, and where I would be led. For me, this is not unusual, as many times I have been guided to halt things until returning from sacred journeys, since the transformative energy changes the course of things and brings in new inspiration and messages – sometimes entirely new directions and life evolutions.

I have found that what is important to get done will be revealed and WILL get done and the rest will just happen as it needs to, or isn’t important to do in the first place. So by not rushing into it, it may actually end up falling away. Or, it comes back with more focused direction that is very clear and more aligned, by letting it percolate.

But, of course the innate artist within is never gone, even if on hiatus. She just takes takes the passenger seat for the time she needs to take everything in, recharge, reinvigorate, and learn to be a powerful presence in new ways. And with that pause, she is then ready again to bring forth the fruits of her labor.

Needless to say, alongside some of the other projects, events, and retreats for this year I’m working on, a sweep of creative excitement is abound. I am also in the middle of another cleaning-out phase and that also has great energy-shifting potentials!

I’ve been really enjoying the sacred tattoo design vibes coming in right now. The energy of the latest pieces are really mirroring the collective, as always, and I’m about to embark on a new round of designs that I’m excited to see what will be unveiled in the process. It’s always a welcome mystery and journey I feel deeply honored to walk with each client. <3

Yesterday, I found a coupon and was off to the store purchasing a bunch of canvases for this artistic surge explosion. I now have 13! canvases awaiting me. YAY! I love choosing canvases and letting them speak to me, as I feel the essence already trickle through their unique energy of what they want created on them. Four of these canvases will be to complete my Universal ARKitecture series and the other 9 are for new creative visions I’ve received. FUN!

Yes, you heard right. Only 4 more pieces left in the Universal ARKitecture series. This is one of the several shifts and messages I received from the Bimini trip. Originally, I felt there would be 33, but received there will only be 12 now and that likely they may become a calendar upon completion. As always, the conclusion remains to be seen, but 12 is the new number and 4 more are still to come. I’ve actually already received the 4 animals ahead this time as well, which is an interesting twist, as before they only came when I was about ready to paint. So this is very cool to already know and now just to let them emerge forth in their sequence.

The 4 will share owl, harp seal, bighorn sheep, and orangutan wisdom. I’m so excited, as they each have perfect messages for the now I feel. Looking forward to what they each have to reveal to me and the depths they will take me too.

An artist paints, dances, draws, writes, designs, or acts at the expanding edge of consciousness. We press into the unknown rather than the known. This makes life lovely and lively. ~Julia Cameron

Garden of the Gods by Tania Marie

In the meantime, don’t forget that prints and originals are available on the 8 paintings, already completed and widely embraced, in the Universal ARKitecture series. Several size options are available to meet your needs. You can read about each individual painting’s message here: Universal ARKitecture by clicking on each painting’s image to enlarge for detail and information.

Originals are available via payment plans to meet your needs with a full refund if not satisfied, minus all shipping charges. Special discounts are available with purchase of the whole series of originals, or more than one original. Contact me with questions and inquiries at tania@taniamarie.com.

To refresh your memory on the focus of these paintings, here is some information on the series:

Universal ARKitecture shares messages spoken through the many voices of the animal spirits of the Earth, focusing on many of the endangered and threatened species, uniting us through a Universal language of the heart. These sacred vessel animal spirit paintings hold antidotes for a new “ARKitecural” plan and code of life for creating the New Earth experience. An “ark” by definition and historical understanding was a vessel built by Noah to house and keep safe his family and pairs of every animal of the Earth. It is also known as a sacred chest where the ancient Hebrews kept the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments. In either form, it is seen as a sacred and protective structure that contained the promise of a new life where a new architectural system of life codes would be embraced and instituted to start anew. Shamanic practice honors the wisdom and power in all things on Earth, believing that everything has something to teach. These power animals act as guides to share their wisdom on how we can better cultivate awareness towards living consciously. Compassion demonstrated in care of these precious beings, as well as understanding their connection to us, helps nurture the Earth collective at large.

Every day is an opportunity to be creative – the canvas is your mind, the brushes and colours are your thoughts and feelings, the panorama is your story, the complete picture is a work of art called, ‘my life’. Be careful what you put on the canvas of your mind today – it matters. ~Innerspace

The remaining 9 canvases, as mentioned, are for a new wave of smaller, yet extremely powerful, energy creations that I will be starting shortly and in partnership with some of my favorite things. ;) A new adventure awaits, as well as a deeper journey into the courageous heart of expression! I am very excited about these and have yet to know how they will come to be fully, but I trust the “how” follows my embracing the “Yes, I’m in!” I sense these will be a synergistic partnership highlighting a special connection shared, where subject becomes guide and I am its loyal servant. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog on these new creations channeling through. Exciting!

A lot of these new creations will be featured in the upcoming April 11th RAW: Los Angeles Presents Marvel art showcase event. This will be such a fun night of indie artists from so many genres coming together in community sharing of their gifts. If you’re in the area, I really hope you can join us at the Belasco Theater, anytime from 6 – 10pm, and if not please share your appreciation for the arts with a ticket purchase, as the proceeds go to supporting the indie artists.

I’m about to head off this weekend for a week in Reno and Lake Tahoe (visiting one of my absolute favorite spots on the globe, the family, and celebrating, as well as pre-celebrating three of our birthdays that are all close to each other), which I know will prove to be very inspiring and revitalizing for me to be in the magickal energies of the lake and to have fun in the beautiful alpine high altitudes I so thrive in. With the convenience of driving, rather than flying, this enables me to bring a few things along with me to explore my creative inspirations while there, including painting, reading, writing, and even making a couple of jewelry pieces for myself that I felt inspired to create from some of my natural treasures discovered. No, this doesn’t mean I will be taking up making jewelry myself, but I AM going to have fun creating these shaman pieces I am guided to make.

I’m very much in the creative flow and I LOVE it! The deeper I go, the more possibilities are available. I have always believed all things are possible and will never accept anything less.

What do you desire to create anew today? Perhaps the reinvention into a courageous heart could be the most valuable creation to begin with.

A truly creative person rids him or herself of all self-imposed limitations. ~Gerald G. Jampolsky

I love the continual synchronicity that takes place these days. Today’s post is a guest article from Ryan Rivera, Publisher and Founder of Calm Clinic. His article touches on his insights about “art as therapy” for mental health issues.

I found his article synchronous for several reasons. I, myself, find art to be very therapeutic in my own life and feel that it can have a powerfully transformative effect on the many who are challenged by different forms of anxiety and stress. It also coincides with one of my current focuses of gearing up to teach art workshops: Creating Life as a Work of Art – offering personal and spiritual growth through the process of creative expression.

So when Ryan contacted me with his article we felt it to be a good fit to share.

A little about Ryan:

Ryan Rivera has spent 7 years of his life suffering from, as he calls it, the “whole package” – panic attacks, severe anxiety, agoraphobia, social anxiety, unbearable physical symptoms, headaches, neck pains, constant tension, diarrhea, palpitations, pounding heart. After trying numerous different treatments for his anxiety (including various medications) a tipping-point in his life made him overcome his emotional problems. Ryan made a number of “huge leaps” toward anxiety elimination and a more fulfilling life. His successes inspired and gave him determination to help other people who suffer from the same condition as he did and show them the light at the end of the tunnel.

His website, Calm Clinic, offers a plethora of information and help for panic and anxiety sufferers in manageable and holistic ways. He reveals the reality about medications and quick fixes, and offers insights and a variety of helpful tips so you can make educated decisions. He feels that curing the issues is a process and long term plans, as well as realistic strategies and tips, can help daily reduction of experiences. Some of these include: exercise, better sleep, understanding your anxiety, breathing, visualization, and relaxation techniques, lifestyle and dietary changes, eliminating stimulants and destructive habits, improving your internal dialogue, etc. – art therapy being one of the ways you can support this process.

Here is Ryan’s article:

Art as Therapy for Mental Health Issues

My friend is a talented artist. She puts her heart and soul into her work. She paints from her emotion, without reference objects or photos to ensure that her work is realistic or clean. She has never been good at math or science or writing, but she is the definition of art: a person that puts the way they feel on paper, without worrying about marketability or social acceptance.

But while she has an artist’s soul, she lacks an artist’s technical talent. She couldn’t paint an accurate still-life, even with all the time in the world, and any time she attempts to paint people they end up looking like fan art anime characters. This lack of technical talent has made it difficult to find a career in art, where many galleries want proof of technical talent before they accept the value of a person’s art.

Yet this hasn’t stopped her in the slightest. She continues to paint away, subsidizing her art with a low salary cashiering job. One day I asked her how she stays motivated, even with all of the gallery rejections, and she shrugged and said “it makes me feel better.”

Using Art As An Outlet

I strongly believe that my friend is going to be accepted within the artist community someday soon. All it takes is that one gallery owner – or that one coffee shop owner – to realize her talent as a true artist and she’s destined for great things. But what struck me most was that even if she didn’t become a “successful artist,” she didn’t care. Her art made her happy. Her art made her content. And that is the definition of success.

Art has long been considered a creative emotional outlet. Many artists – both those with severe mental health issues and those without – have turned to art as a way of releasing their emotions. But what is it about art that makes it so valuable?

Little research has been completed on art therapy for adult populations. But there are several reasons that engaging in art may be valuable for dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues:

Healthy Distraction – Its primary benefit is as a distraction. What many people don’t realize is that anxiety affects the way you think. It’s natural to want to be “alone” when stressed, but when you’re alone your mind has a tendency to focus and dwell on negative feelings and experiences. Art is a healthy way to relieve that distraction. You cannot do art without focus, and so it stops you from focusing too much on negative thoughts.

Accomplishment – Art also provides a feeling of accomplishment. With each stroke, you add something to the art piece, giving you a sense that you’re completing something meaningful to you. Not everyone completes their art, but most people still feel that positive feeling of accomplishment as they continue working on the piece.

Emotional Outlet – It’s widely believed that art also gives you a chance to express yourself on paper. The piece itself is often based on what is on the person’s mind and how they feel, and many scientists believe that color choices and painting/drawing styles may change depending on the mood of the artist.

There are so many reasons to believe that art itself is a powerful tool for controlling anxiety and depression symptoms, that it should arguably be one of the first tools that experts use to help people with their daily coping needs.

An Anxiety Solution

Is art itself likely to cure someone of all of their anxieties and stresses? Probably not. Anxiety goes much deeper than any single outlet can provide, and most people turn to art as a way to express thoughts and emotions that are the result of anxiety – not stop that anxiety from coming altogether.

But as a coping tool, art has some very profound benefits, and it is absolutely worth exploring regardless of your own artistic talents.

About the Author: Ryan Rivera has used art regularly for years as one of his daily stress coping tools. His anxiety information strategies can be found at Calm Clinic.

There’s an awesome “celebration of the arts” showcase event coming up in Los Angeles on April 11th, 2013 that I’m excited to be a part of, as I really believe in what this is all about. This event is RAW: Los Angeles Presents MARVEL – and it’s sure to be a fun evening of eclectic talent and indie artists from a plethora of genres coming together in community.

How fun is that? Multi-faceted artists and art all under one roof at the same time is a recipe for inspiration and “raw” excitement if nothing else, but that’s a lot!

For those of you not familiar with RAW here’s a little background. RAW: natural born artists is an independent arts organization, for artists, by artists. They are a community made up of creative individuals across the nation – 54 cities across the U.S. and Australia and this year will be launching in China and Europe – that host monthly showcases that spotlight indie talent.

It all started when a small-town girl graduated high school and moved to the big city of Los Angeles, CA with a wish to pursue her life-long dream of becoming a fashion designer. After pouring her heart, soul, sweat and tears into her work, she started to think, “there’s got to be a better way to get my work out there.” This kick started her taking matters into her own hands and in 2005, Heidi Luerra threw her first multi-faceted showcase in Los Angeles and discovered her calling – to create a platform to support and share the works of all the talented people out there.

RAW’s mission is to provide support to independent artists to inspire and cultivate creativity and they encourage the creative success of the many visionaries and storytellers of our generation.

RAW is a multi-faceted arts showcase that handpicks and spotlights talent from various sectors within the artistic realm: independent film, fashion, music, visual art, hair design, makeup artistry, modeling, DJing, photography, performance art and all creative arts. The RAW season runs from February to October. They provide a platform for independent artists of all creative expression to be seen, heard, and loved. RAW executes this through two main avenues: grassroots arts showcases which spotlight one artist in each of the categories, as well as through the exclusive RAWartists.org web community. They serve as a link between the arts community, industry professionals, press and like organizations, aspiring to—with the help of many of its supporters—connect and unify creative individuals.

Needless to say, April 11th will be a fun evening and a chance to see some really talented up and coming artists, as well as enjoy the entertainment, all while supporting the arts!

The line-up of artists is only JUST starting to come in, as they will have upwards of 60 individual and unique artists at this event. So you can keep checking out the line up online, or just stop in and be pleasantly surprised by the plethora of talent that will be in presence. As the event approaches more information on the artists, lineup and this specific showcase’s details will be available. I’ll keep you posted as they come in.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area, I would love to see you there in support of the creative arts. And even if you can’t make it, or are not in the area, ticket purchases go to supporting the independent artists who are sharing their valuable creative expression with the world. So you can still be a part of the art, by supporting from your heart.

I’m still feeling out the eclectic mix that I will be sharing at the event which may include pieces from my Universal ARKitecture and In Lak’ech series, some of my fav originals, AND more than likely some fresh new creations that I’m in process of receiving, plus more!

You can either click on the link that says “Buy a Ticket for this Artist” or click on “Marvel April 2013″

My RAW Bio and Profile can be found here as well.

Here is the information for RAW: Los Angeles Presents MARVEL

WHEN

April 11th, 2013

6:00 pm – 10:00 pm

WHERE

Belasco Theater

1050 South Hill Street, Los Angeles

DETAILS

Cocktail Attire

$15 Advance Ticket Purchase

$20 At Door (Cash Only)

21+

I am looking forward to connecting with the community of artists here in Los Angeles, helping to keep the creative arts alive and thriving, and to see you there! Thank you for realizing the value of art and for supporting its cultivation.

Creative inspiration is all around us in the miracles of nature – photo I took in Key West

I’ve been getting a nudge to share about the value of creative arts. Perhaps it is because of things I hear and pick up from others, things that come up in classes, what I notice and am receiving personally, the collective evolution we are journeying together, the energetic shifts, or all of the above.

Creativity is love. It is a magical and powerful energy vital to exercise and cultivate as a channel of creation itself. It’s an exciting time for alchemizing our very existence. We are infinitely creative beings here to evoke the remembrance of what lies in our hearts. This is an opportune and timely alignment of energies for really bringing forth the authenticity of your heart and expressing it in its most beautiful light, outward to all from within.

Our creative energy is an expression of the boundless love of All That Is and it is essential in creating new realities of experience. Cultivating the imagination, dreaming, hoping, allowing and supporting vulnerable and passionate expression, utilizing creative visualization… is all vital to manifestation.

The creative and healing arts are rapidly taking more of an essential role, as they once did, in leading the way to a new experience of life. Once again the arts, integrated with the other essentials aspects of wholeness, are and will be recognized as foundations that will bring us to a return to natural harmony and balance with the Earth, nature, and our very existence. Cultivating the right brain back into balance with the left will help to anchor in new energies. This is why it is vital to support those in the arts and to cultivate those aspects within yourself that have called to you. Valuing the contributions that creativity shares, not only to the individual practicing their own expression of it, but to all those that are touched by their creations and services, enriches communities collectively.

I am moved to share about the invaluable ways art enhances my own life and how it has the ability to do the same for others.

I find joy in walking the magickal path, and I channel and express everything in symbolic and creatively loving ways whether on my person, in my personal environment and sacred space, or through my work. Painting is my sacred key of life – my personal ankh that opens the door to life aligned with the universal will. I didn’t set out to produce art, but like the wing of a butterfly is essential to its flight, I discovered that creating art is the breath of life to my soul. From the onset, the unconscious, life-giving process of manifesting on canvas, the visions that pervaded my day-time dreams, struck me as magical. And, over the years, that magical essence persisted despite deterrence, yet the unfolding process is now accessed in quantum leaps of conscious experience. It was a naturally progressive evolution that infiltrated my life with creative passion at every corner, reminding me that who I was, is who I AM. I paint from the inside out, employing naturally innovative and intuitionally guided techniques, as my unconscious is the undisputed light that guides me through the maze of tunnels to the divinely aligned, creative destination.

I was always an imaginative and creative child, whether singing, dancing, drawing, painting, make-believing, inner-eye journeying, dreaming…and any time I immersed myself in strictly left brain things or jobs over time, it always resulted in imbalance, health breakdowns, unhappiness, diminished light, low energy, and basically like a piece of my soul dying. Whenever I let myself wander the creative paths, supported the integration of creativity into action, and watered the seeds of driven inspiration and passion, my life blossomed in all the ways the latter, on its own, wilted.

But like many of us go through, as I grew up, those parts of myself, while always prevalent, were not exactly nurtured and the natural me was reconditioned into an unnatural me, that I then had to relearn once again. Everything evolves in perfection, and while it didn’t have to be that way, without this process, much of the depth, compassion, value, and ability to see with wider perspective would not have been cultivated as it was.

Creativity and painting, for me, is enlivening, balancing, exciting, supports my growth, assists the cultivation of all aspects of my being-ness, enhances quality of life, supports all the other things I do with vitality, aligns me with my essence, supports being in tune with my intuition, other dimensions of experience, nature, the cosmos, brings greater sense of self, while also expanding my collective connection, supports inner peace and joy, cultivates trust, hope, believing, dreaming, and develops clarity of awareness and being present in the moment, aligns me with how to flow and develops courageous vulnerability that seeks no outside approval, but is centered in the security of my own heart’s knowing, and deepens the love I experience and express…. phew!

In essence, it supports what feels most natural. Yeah, you can say that creative expression really supports every aspect of life and beyond. At least, from my own experience, I can say with all certainty that this is true. I’ve experienced what it was like as a child, what it was like when I was disconnected from it and what it is like nurturing its expression.

I’ve also realized throughout my evolution and work, and observing the shift of energies, how vital to the collective our value, support, and cultivation of the creative arts is to where we are headed. Creative and healing arts were once solid foundations that pervaded our experience throughout ancient times – times when we understood and realized the importance of being in balance and harmony with nature and the cosmos, which came through our cultivation of these aspects of consciousness. As things have shifted, many of these aspects that enriched life were forgotten, lost, went more underground, were diffused and scattered, or replaced by new values. There are always cycles to life and the circle is cycling back in a new way, as we are remembering, reevaluating, and understanding that balance is essential and cultivating natural creative expression is healthy to the state of collective humanity.

All forms of art have the ability to enhance life in amazing ways, not to mention, helps us get more in touch with Source. It is an invaluable expression that through support and cultivation, can help us to connect more with our natural essence as creative, loving beings that are individually beautiful expressions of collective diversity.

We are all creative beings that channel creativity in beautifully unique ways. If you have felt nudges, inner callings, are receiving signs, have always wanted to explore your creative side or dabble in the arts, but haven’t fully supported it into the open, have felt insecure about your creative expression, judge it against other’s work, or wondered about what it would be like if you let yourself express yourself freely, now is a great time to harness that energy and let it flow with out limiting beliefs! The more you support these creative impulses, the more you allow yourself to explore things outside the box, to start creating and manifesting what you desire, to experience more magic and synchronicity in your life, to create the greatest works of art you have yet to create, and to find greater sense of peace and inner joy.

Creative energy is the source of creation. If you don’t exercise it, you close the door on the endless possibilities you, as a limitless and powerful being, have the ability to tap into. Creativity is the power of love expressing itself.

The more you support this expression in yourself and in others, the more beautiful life will be.

Here are some of the values of expressing creativity (in addition to, and including some of, what I shared it supports for myself):

helps you be more aware of, and with greater sense of connection to, both the outer landscape of your surroundings and the inner landscape of your experience, visually, emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually

increases your sense of gratitude as simple things once taken for granted become beautiful

opens you up to limitless possibilities and draws in new opportunities

greater sense of self and security with who you are and choices you make that reflect you

you learn to become more comfortable with your unique creative process and can apply it to anything you do

you gain greater understanding of how others perceive visual information and how to communicate in different and broader ways that words may limit – enhancing your intuitive and telepathic abilities

you feel more in tune with yourself, your inner voice and intuition

you learn more about yourself and the collective, as your art and creative expression will mirror current themes and messages

you feel more comfortable with yourself

helps you realize there is something more to life out there, beyond the obvious, that you end up finding by journeying within

creates more joy, inspiration, and lifts you up when you feel down, unmotivated, blocked

gives you greater sense of peace and comfort in solitude

increases your knowledge, helps you find more meaning, and expands your horizons, as you explore through art or research themes you are creating

cultivates states of bliss and excitement when you align with the universal you

builds your self confidence and courage

develops your ability to share more of yourself with vulnerable curiosity

teaches you about yourself

develops patience and flow

balances

creates wholeness

allows you to use your whole brain and by engaging both halves (left and right) this supports great things to happen

etc.

Here are some of the values of art (both in supporting and cultivating as a collective community and in terms of what you receive from owning a piece of art or creating one for yourself):

Art is a powerful form of expression for both the artist and those who own it, allowing the expression of individuality and can represent their beliefs, feelings, imaginations, convictions or philosophies in socially (and visually) acceptable and redeeming ways

Art encourages people to be curious, ask questions, look within and introspect, think about ideas, experience fresh new perspectives and encourages being in the moment and stopping everything to reflect on more than just the mundane daily routines

Art improves quality of life, enhances, revives, personalizes, and transforms any living, working, sacred, or place of gathering from lifeless to unique, beautiful, inspiring and engaging environments on an ongoing basis

Art inspires and may spark thinking about or visualizing other ways life could be

Art stimulates conversation and communication with the interchange of thoughts, feelings and ideas, even among total strangers who might never otherwise meet or engage

Art speaks universally and needs no interpretation other than your personal experience of it when viewed

Art encourages and cultivates children to dream, imagine, fantasize, be creative, express themselves, have fun with life and gives permission to do so, as well as to ask questions and expand their perceptions of reality

Original works of art uplift, reflect, enhance and magnify the personality of the individual who owns it, as well as can stimulate and activate more of the desired elements and aspects that are desired or feel under-developed

Art strengthens and enhances community livability, learning, creation, and engagement

Supporting, creating and buying art improves the quality of life for everyone and serves much larger purposes than simply decorating a wall. Not only does it enhance things in personal ways, but creates wondrous transformations that revitalize, raise values and draw in new opportunities where ever artists share their artistry. This supplies the world with creative oases that stimulate culture in numerous ways around the world

etc.

Divine female and male in integrative harmony – photo taken in Key West

We all have a creative side, even though many do not believe they are creative. This usually stems from not having learned how to use the right side of the brain (the creative side) nor being supported, nurtured, or taught its value. The more you embrace and allow the divine feminine energy (which this right brain also represents) to flow from within, in partnership with, and supported by, the divine male (the left brain) in their empowered essence, you can live in balanced harmony.